June 4, 2021

Sweden is very secular. I suppose churches were covered in the "8 people gathering inside" limit, and now they can have 50. A shame for weddings and funerals, although would 50 people come to my funeral? 🙃. I really don’t think churches should have been covered with the same restrictions as other indoor places, they are such a place of comfort and community, especially during a time like this. And most seem extremely large and well-ventilated. I’m not a church-goer, but there was something a bit disrespectful about this imho - plus I heard a really moving podcast with an Anglican priest based in London talking about how he was defying orders to keep his church open. Honestly it had me in tears - churches as one of the last refuges for some of the most needy among us.

I think I’ve figured out that odd "8 people socializing outside” rule that seems out of sync. This month the kids graduate from high school and it is a HUGE deal here - a real rite of passage. My guess is the government is trying to limit those festivities and will drop that restriction after mid-June when those parties are over. Bah humbug. Last year when my daughter graduated things were less strict and we managed to have quite a nice party outside. I honestly think being outside is so low risk, they should just scrap limits altogether.

Interesting about the markets, I haven’t really thought about it. Stockholm doesn’t have a lot of outdoor markets, except for some lovely Christmas markets.

Tegnell was back at the press conference yesterday with a nice tan and fresh haircut!

Interesting tidbits - as well as being more transmissible, the British variant also caused more severe illness and hospitalizations.

Tegnell was asked about a “4th wave on its way that will affect children more” - he said that was not their judgement.

They were asked why press conferences have been reduced from twice to once a week? “This reflects reduced interest from the media.” Yippee!!

A decision about whether vaccinations will be recommended for under 18s is coming next week. My guess is still NO. When pressed a bit obliquely if children should be vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus both in and outside Sweden, Tegnell looked unimpressed, and said “our mandate is to look after the health of Swedes - only”

I note that there is currently no recommendation to vaccinate children from the flu, unless they have health issues, ex heart and lung issues.